


A Pair of Shoes and a Loads of Love

by kishidanchougoroshi



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Eventual Romance, Friendship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-24
Updated: 2018-04-24
Packaged: 2019-04-27 01:53:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14415111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kishidanchougoroshi/pseuds/kishidanchougoroshi
Summary: The Angel’s Hands Shoe Shop was located far away from Tokyo, but it had gained high popularity and Nino’s boss wanted to feature the shoe maker to his TV program. Nino went to the out-of-nowhere-shop to convince the shoe maker for an interview, however, it wasn’t as easy as he thought it was.





	A Pair of Shoes and a Loads of Love

“Don’t touch it.”

A voice was heard from behind the counter of the shoe shop; the owner of that voice was a man whose eyes looked too sleepy to stay awake.

Nino withdrew his hands from the shoes and cleared his throat before introducing himself.

“Good morning, I’m Ninomiya Kazunari, I’m here to…”

“Matsujun!” the man shouted, not even glancing at Nino’s face.

Nino looked around and saw a broad shouldered man appear from the door beside the counter; perhaps the one whose name was Matsujun. He was way taller than the sleepy-looking man, he wiped his hands of something oily and his eyes found Nino’s almost immediately.

“Oh,” that was all he said.

“Who is he and what is he doing here?” Ohno asked Matsujun as if Nino wasn’t there.

“He’s here for the television footage, they want to interview you and feature the shoes you made, but first, he needs your permission to do that,” Matsujun answered, looking worried.

“And whose idea was it?” Ohno asked with a disapproving tone in his voice.

“Me, Aiba-kun and Sho-kun,” Matsujun grinned.

“Tell this guy to go away and tell him not to touch the shoes,” Ohno said while walking out through the door where Matsujun came in. The latter looked apologetically at Nino and stepped out from behind the counter.

“He didn’t mean it,” he gestured his head to the closed door. “Come, take a seat, I’ll make you a cup of tea.”

“But, the owner of the shop already evicted me even before I could introduce myself,” Nino said, shrugging.

Matsujun pretended that he didn’t hear it; the tall man dragged him towards a room separate from the shop and told him to wait there. It was a living room with four sofas in different sizes and color. There was a wooden table in the middle with various magazines on top of it. The wall was decorated with abstract paintings – all were made by someone with the initials ‘OS’.

Nino had come all the way here to convince the owner of Angel’s Hands shoe-makers to be featured on a television program at a TV station he was working at. His boss had wanted to do that ever since he got his shoes after a long-awaited queue. The Angel’s Hands only produced a limited run of shoes and the price was quite expensive. Customers needed to wait up to six months or more to get their order finished.

The shoes had gained more popularity recently, not only among commoners but also politicians, artists and the rich guys who didn’t want to miss out on the newest top-branded items.

However, the popularity of the shoes didn’t make the creator stand out. Nino needed at least five hours by train and bus to get to this place; he wondered how come this in-the-middle-of-nowhere-shop had gotten known all over Japan. That was one of the reasons for his boss’ obsession – he wanted to be the first television to broadcast the program which featured the Angel’s Hands’ owner.

Nino had never failed in his pursuit of a reluctant client to finally agree to be featured in the program. The latest one was the keeper of a Samurai House in Nara. The middle-aged man loathed him when Nino delivered his intention, but soon he was softened after a long convincing talk. Nino was sure that he could do the same thing with the owner of Angel’s Hands.

Matsujun returned with a tray; two cups of tea were on it. He put one of them in front of Nino and gestured for him to drink it. The man sat down across from him and scanned him from head to toe, he smiled when he met Nino’s gaze.

“So, you’re from the television station. Thanks for coming all the way here,” Matsujun said with his deep voice.

“It’s a happy coincidence that you want to make your boss famous, and our television channel wants to make a high rating show since everyone is talking about your shoes,” Nino said while sipping the hot tea carefully.

“It’s Sho-kun’s idea,” the man replied. “He’ll be here in a few minutes. He needs to finish polishing the leather. He was the one who called you,” Matsujun added.

Nino remembered the phone call; it was in the evening three days ago, when he was about to leave the office.

“By the way, Ohno-san is a kind-hearted person, he’s just…you know, not really good with the people he meets for the first time,” Matsujun said with a soft tone – a typical tone when someone talked about a person dear to them. 

“This place is so isolated,” Nino commented. “It’s not the usual location for a shop.”

“You’re not the only person who has said that,” Matsujun replied. “Ohno-san didn’t have any intention to look for fame. He made shoes because he likes it and it turns out that the people love his creations, so they come all the way here to buy his shoes, but we also have contracts with particular shops at the city where we deliver our shoes twice a month,” Matsujun explained. 

“Don’t tell me that he doesn’t even know how popular his shoes are,” Nino said and wasn’t surprised when Matsujun gave him an understanding shrug.

“You guessed it right,” Matsujun chuckled. “He’s not an ordinary person.”

Nino thought for a while; he glanced at Matsujun every now and then. This man was good looking, he had a strong face with high cheek bones and big eyes. His hair was dyed a soft brown color, he let the bangs fall naturally to his forehead; his skin was fair and he had nice lips.

Nino gave the tea another sip and was about to ask Matsujun more questions about the shoes when someone entered the room. He was a man whose features were almost the same as Matsujun – broad shoulders and rather muscular, although, Nino noticed that his shoulders were so much more sloped.

“You must be Ninomiya Kazunari,” he said, extending his right hand to Nino. “I’m Sakurai Sho, I was the one who called you a few days ago,” he said cheerfully while shaking Nino’s hand.

“Nice to meet you,” Nino muttered. He was a little bit surprised that the men who worked for Ohno were all good looking. Was this a coincidence or perhaps the people who lived in the isolated area were more handsome since they were free from any pollution?

“I have talked with Ohno-san,” Sho said, sitting down next to Matsujun. “He’s basically not happy with your presence here,” the man continued.

“I can see that,” Nino said coldly as he remembered Ohno’s reaction when he first saw him.

“But,” Sho said quickly. “He agrees to give you terms and conditions so you can feature him and this shop on your television program.”

Nino glanced at Matsujun’s face whose expression was amused as he heard Sho’s explanation. This convinced Nino that whatever the terms and conditions Ohno would give wasn’t something pleasant.

“He wants you to work here for the time being,” Sho said precisely.

“WHAT?!” Nino almost chocked from the hot tea. He coughed and looked back and forth from Matsujun to Sho, hoping that they were only joking. “You can’t be serious, Sakurai-san.”

“I’m dead serious,” Sho answered. “Can you do that?”

“Of course not,” Nino shook his head. “I have work to do in my office and I think Nagase has nothing to lose if we aren’t able to feature Ohno-san in our program.”

Sho shrugged and exchanged a look with Matsujun. “You can discuss it with your boss,” Matsujun said after a series of silences. “Ohno-san is the most stubborn man we’ve ever met and once he decides, nothing can change his mind.”

Nino pouted; he didn’t want to stay in a quiet place like this where the phone signal barely reached them. He couldn’t imagine life without online games or convenience stores.

“Are you hungry?” Matsujun asked.

Nino was about to answer when Matsujun grabbed his hand and led him to the back of the shop, Sho following behind them. The shop was connected to a house with a rather wide backyard; there was a stylish kitchen on the left side; Nino could smell something delicious from there.

“Our chef is ready to feed us,” Matsujun said, his hand still gripping Nino’s.

“Lunch time,” the man at the kitchen said. “Welcome to our humble place, Nino-chan.”

Nino grinned; nobody would have called him ‘Nino-chan’ on their first meeting.

“Thank you,” Nino answered, taking a seat beside Sho who gestured for him to sit near him.

Ohno joined them a few minutes later; with his hands still dirty from work, he took a glass of water from the tap and drank it in one gulp. His sleepy eyes found Nino, but he said nothing. He washed his hands quickly and sat down on the edge of the dining table, waiting for the lunch to be served by the man at the kitchen. Nino guessed that man must be Aiba Masaki; he was tall and slim, an apron around his waist. He had a nice haircut and when he brought the tray to the dining table, he gave Nino a broad smile.

“There you go,” he said. “You’re our special guest today,” he added.

“Thanks,” Nino said.

Aiba cooked tempura, gyouza and grilled fish with the utmost care, which looked restaurant made. Nino took the chopsticks and tried the tempura first.

“It’s so delicious,” Nino said. Sho and Matsujun chuckled and began to eat as well.

“He would have become a talented chef if he didn’t choose to work here instead,” Sho said.

“Don’t exaggerate, Sho-chan,” Aiba replied. “I don’t want to let you guys starve, besides, I love my job here. Right, Ohno-san?”

“Mmmm,” Ohno replied with a soft hum. His mouth was full, somehow, he looked like a chipmunk.

“You’d better stay here tonight,” Matsujun said, glancing outside of the window. “The weather forecast stated there will be a storm and I’m afraid you won’t get home since the bus doesn’t operate.”

Nino couldn’t believe how clumsy he was for not checking the weather forecast properly before coming to this out-of-nowhere shoe shop; he didn’t bring any spare clothes and he definitely didn’t want to spend a night among these guys. Maybe Matsujun was okay, but he still couldn’t trust Aiba and Sho, and besides, Ohno seemed not to like him. He still treated Nino as if he wasn’t there. 

“I can stay at the nearest hotel,” Nino mumbled.

“Don’t be stupid,” Aiba chirped in, “the nearest hotel from here is an hour by car, Matsujun is right, you’d better stay here, Nino-chan.”

Nino nodded, he had no choice but to agree with their suggestion. He continued eating while listening to Aiba’s anecdote about a customer who insisted on paying more just because he loved the apron Aiba was wearing that time.

“Sho-kun, if you’re already finished, come to the workshop,” Ohno said. The man stood up from his chair and walked towards the chamber which he assumed to be the place where he created all of those shoes. Nino narrowed his eyes to read the sign on the door which had written ‘staff only’. Nagase would raise his salary if he could break into that room. Sho also stood up and followed Ohno into the room.

“We’ll be working until 5, you can stay here for the time being as long as you don’t sneak into Ohno-san’s private quarters,” Matsujun said. “The storm will be coming very soon, we’ll be closing earlier today,” he added.

“You can stay in my room if you like,” Aiba said, smiling to Nino with utmost eagerness.

“Er-,” Nino muttered, “okay, thanks,” he answered.

They finished their lunch, Nino offered to Aiba to clean the kitchen but the tall man declined. He told Nino that they valued their guest above all. Nino grinned as he heard it, he wished Ohno could think the same way.

***

Aiba’s room was located at the farthest corner of the house; there was a shelf full of comics beside a working desk which was totally messy. Aiba’s bed was near the window, Nino could see the outside scene through the glass window.

“You can read my comics to kill the time,” Aiba said. “If you want to drink or eat something, just go to the kitchen and help yourself.”

“Thanks, Aiba-san,” Nino mumbled, smiling at the man. He thought that maybe he could trust everyone in this house except Ohno who still treated him coldly.

Aiba left him to continue working. The rain began pouring and just like Matsujun said, the storm came. The raindrops hit the glass window with strong force; the outside scenery couldn’t be seen anymore. Nino heaved a deep sigh and slumped on the chair in front of Aiba’s working desk. He put aside Aiba’s books and slid out his laptop, he needed to write an email to Nagase and explain the situation.

Nobody would let their underlings work for another company just to fulfill the terms and conditions for an interview. Nino began typing the email; he explained the details about Angel Hand’s shoes, what kind of people were working there, how to get to the shop and a hint that the owner of the product was someone very hard to pursue.

Nino yawned; he closed the laptop and shifted towards Aiba’s bed. It didn’t take long before he fell asleep.

When he woke up, it was close to 6 pm. Nino stepped out from Aiba’s room and walked towards the dining room to get a glass of water. Aiba and Matsujun were already there, preparing dinner. The dinner was as delicious as lunch; even though Nino felt rather awkward since Ohno was sitting right in front of him.

He stole glances every now and then to the shoe maker; Ohno had a nice shaped nose above his lips, but his fingers attracted Nino’s attention the most. Ohno’s fingers were thin, long and pretty; perhaps they were the description of Angel’s Hands. Those fingers looked artistic and it took much effort to avert his gaze from Ohno’s hands before the others accused him as a pervert. 

Nino couldn’t sleep that night since he had napped for too long. Aiba gave up his bed for Nino, meanwhile the man slept on a sleeping bag on the floor; he was fast asleep in a moment. Nino carefully left the bed and tiptoed towards the door after borrowing one of Aiba’s comics. He headed to the dining room and hoped the sleep would come soon.

He was half-way towards the dining room when he spotted someone there. He could tell it was Ohno; he was working on papers. A pencil was in his right hand, his face was in a deep concentration and he seemed not to realize Nino’s presence. The clock pointed to midnight; the rain was still pouring, the air was chill, yet it didn’t restrain Ohno from his work.

Nino stepped soundlessly to the man; Ohno’s side face was a pleasant sight since his nose looked pointier from this angle.

“Why aren’t you in bed at this hour?” Ohno asked without lifting his head from whatever he was drawing.

Nino was taken aback and a little embarrassed; perhaps Ohno had already realized his intense gaze on him from the very beginning.

“I can’t sleep,” Nino mumbled. “May I sit here?”

“Go ahead, but don’t touch anything,” Ohno replied.

“What are you doing?” Nino asked, peering at the papers Ohno had been working on.

Ohno didn’t answer, he didn’t even give any signs that he had heard what Nino said. His eyes were locked on the paper before him. Nino decided that it was better not to disturb Ohno from his concentration, he opened the comic and started reading.

He didn’t know how much time had passed until the sleepy feeling came; he leaned his head on the table and without realizing it, he dozed off.

The one who woke him up was Sho, the man shook his shoulder and told him it was time for breakfast. Nino confusedly opened his eyes and found a blanket covering him. He focused his sight on Sho who grinned widely.

“You’d better wash up,” Sho said. “Why are you sleeping here?”

“Are you a sleep-walker?” Matsujun asked while putting down the coffee cups on the table. “You’d better be careful, there is a deep well behind the house. You don’t want to fall in there.”

“I’ll be careful,” Nino replied sleepily; it was a weird feeling, he had only been here less than 24 hours, but these guys already treated him as a part of them.

Nino stood up from the chair and brought the blanket to Aiba’s room; the man was putting on his sweater when Nino entered. “Thanks for the blanket,” Nino mumbled.

“Blanket?” Aiba’s head popped up from the collar of his sweater, he looked rather confused.

“You’re the one who covered me with this blanket, didn’t you?” Nino confirmed.

Aiba took the blanket from Nino’s hand; his eyebrow lifted, “No, it wasn’t mine. Perhaps it was from Matsujun or Sho-chan or maybe Ohno-san.”

Nino could feel the heat creep to his cheeks, he didn’t know if for sure, but the image where Ohno covered him with a blanket was somehow, too good to be true. He folded the blanket with the utmost care and washed up as quick as he could. But to his disappointment, Ohno wasn’t in the dining room when he returned there.

Nagase had replied to Nino’s email and to Nino’s surprise, he was all excited on Ohno’s terms and conditions.

“Nagase-san, I can’t stay here that long, I have loads of works to do,” Nino protested; he phoned his boss immediately as he read the reply.

“Ninomiya,” Nagase cut him off. “I approve it as your project as long as Ohno-san says yes. The Angel’s Hands feature means a lot to me. You can stay there and make our client happy, okay.”

“But…they didn’t mention how long I should stay and work here,” Nino sighed.

“Well, it’s a part of your job,” Nagase answered lightly. “Good luck and report to me if something good happens.”

Nagase hung up, leaving Nino bewildered. What if Ohno wanted him to stay for months before he said yes or he told Nino to leave half-way because he changed his mind? He looked for Matsujun who was working outside of the workshop. He was cutting a wide piece of leather and measuring it carefully.

“Matsumoto-san,” Nino called.

“Oh, did your boss approve our terms and conditions?” Matsujun asked, looking at Nino with a broad smile on his lips.

“Yes, it’s quite surprising,” Nino answered. “He’s never done it before. The problem is I need to get my stuff if I have to stay here for the time being. You haven’t told me how long I should spend here before Ohno-san agrees to be featured in our program.”

“Sho-kun will go to the city today for delivery, you can go together with him,” Matsujun said with a light tone as if it solved everything.

“Perfect,” Nino mumbled. He had mixed feelings about the prospect of spending time in this shoe production house. He would live with four good looking men in the middle of nowhere; half of him was glad that it meant he could gather much information about the Angel’s Hands shoes that the rest of the world wanted to hear about. However, half of him was worried, what if Ohno did it just to play a prank on him which would upset Nagase and would probably make Nino lose his job.

But, what could he do about it? He had no choice but to stay here and help Ohno’s work.

Sho led Nino towards the garage while dragging two big suitcases with various kinds of shoes in it. He stuffed the luggage inside the trunk of a new model Nissan and gestured to Nino to get in.

“It’s a long drive,” he said, fastening his seatbelt.

“I can drive half-way,” Nino offered.

“I do it twice a month, I’m okay with the long drive,” Sho replied, winking at Nino which made the latter grin awkwardly. It seemed that everyone in Angel’s Hands loved to flirt – well, except for Ohno who acted as if Nino was a part of the room’s decoration.

“So, we’ll deliver these shoes to our trusted shops, then to your place, and come back here – of course with lunch in between,” Sho said.

“You can drop me at the nearest station and we’ll meet up after you finish your delivery,” Nino suggested.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m a grown up and I have been living in the city half of my life, so I guess I’m pretty sure about it,” Nino answered, trying not to sound sarcastic.

“Of course, you are,” Sho replied cheerfully and gave Nino a light pat on his shoulder.

It took around four and a half hours until they reached Tokyo. Sho explained about the Angel’s Hands shoes to Nino along the way. Ohno was the founder, at first he only worked with Matsujun. Sho and Aiba joined the production because they were in love with the designs (Ohno designed the shoes by himself). Nino was quite surprised when Sho told him that Aiba was formerly a model.

“There was a lot of pressure in the modeling world, Aiba-kun couldn’t handle it anymore and he decided to quit. I experienced the same thing, my work at the office was killing me back then and that was when I visited Ohno-san’s shop. That place is a kind of safe haven for me, it heals our soul, you know,” Sho said with a nostalgic smile. “I didn’t give a second thought about quitting my job and working with Ohno-san instead.”

Nino digested Sho’s story, but he couldn’t picture Aiba and Sho on their former jobs.

“Are Ohno-san and Matsujun a couple?” Nino asked after a series of silences.

“No,” Sho shook his head. “But they are close and it seems that they can read each other’s mind, quite creepy.”

Sho’s answer somehow made Nino feel relieved, but then he shook his head, it was none of his business if Matsujun and Ohno had a special relationship.

‘Safe haven,” Nino mumbled. He couldn’t fault Sho for feeling that way about the shop, it was like entering another world when they were inside the house. A feeling which made them all resistant to leave.

***

Nino grabbed his stuff randomly and tossed it into his rucksack. He switched off every electrical item in the room before leaving. Sho was already waiting for him by the time he finished.

Out of the four men in Ohno’s shop, Nino found Sho the easiest to talk to. He could choose the right topic and he had a good sense of humor. His common knowledge was great, so they could talk about almost anything.

When they reached the shop again, it was already dark. Aiba had prepared a fantastic dinner; Matsujun and Ohno had already sat down around the dining table with a can of beer in their hands. Nino recalled Sho’s information about Ohno and Matsujun’s closeness and somehow, it brought an unpleasant prickle to Nino’s stomach.

“Welcome home,” Matsujun greeted them with a smile on his lips. Ohno gave them a quick glance before returning his gaze to his phone.

“He’s ready to work with us,” Sho said, sitting down beside Matsujun after taking a can of beer from the fridge.

“Good,” Matsujun beamed. “I’ll explain what you have to do on your first day, we won’t give you anything complicated so don’t worry.”

Nino nodded; he took a seat beside Ohno and hoped the man would talk to him – anything would be fine, but Ohno’s lips were glued and he didn’t say a single word during the dinner. The other three seemed unaffected by their boss’ behavior. They laughed over Aiba’s jokes and talked randomly until it was too late.

Ohno had disappeared to his room without Nino realizing it; when he turned to his right side, the man was no longer there.

“Matsujun has prepared your own room, you don’t need to sleep in my room anymore,” Aiba said as they walked out of the kitchen.

“He’s so nice,” Nino commented. “Is he really Ohno-san’s closest friend?” he asked before he could hold himself.

Aiba thought for a while before answering, “He had been working here for three years when I joined, he and Ohno-san had been friends before that, so I think he’s the closest to Ohno-san.”

Nino frowned; he wondered how two men with so many differences could be friends. He wished he could befriend Ohno like he did with Matsujun, Sho and Aiba. Ohno seemed to barricade himself off and didn’t want other people to infiltrate his own space – it would be hard for Nino to convince Ohno to talk in front of a camera if the man wasn’t even interested in people.

***

Nino’s first task was to brush the newly bought leathers – it wasn’t that hard, if only the leathers weren’t so many. Aiba’s task was cutting them into the required sizes depending on the designs; Sho was the one who took care of the finished shoes; uploading them to the website and delivering them twice a week to the corporate shops.

Ohno and Matsujun worked on the details – in their private workshop. The thought that both of them were alone in the room brought uninvited imagination to Nino’s head – which involved Ohno’s long pretty fingers in the process.

He shook his head and continued brushing the leathers in his hands. However, he couldn’t push the thoughts away, this time, not only Ohno and Matsujun, but the four of them. It was odd that they loved staying here – in the middle of nowhere with only each other’s company. Sometimes, Nino found Matsujun resting his head on Sho’s lap during the day-break. He also saw Aiba and Matsujun holding hands in the dining room when they were watching DVDs.

On the second week, Nino accidentally spotted Sho kissing Matsujun. It was after dinner as Nino walked towards his room. Sho and Matsujun were standing close to each other in front of Matsujun’s door; they were kissing like there was no tomorrow. Nino averted his gaze from the scene and continued walking towards his room.

Why on earth had he agreed to work here? This place was fishy and shouldn’t be exposed in the first place. Sho’s words echoed in his ears as Nino closed his eyes ‘that place is a kind of safe haven’.

Nino bit his lower lip; what if he ended up like Sho and Aiba? What if he refused to leave? He couldn’t deny his interest in Ohno after two weeks of seeing him on daily basis. He had become fond of Ohno’s silent behavior, Ohno’s shady smile when he rarely joined the conversation, Ohno’s serious face when he was working on the designs or when he checked everybody’s task.

One or twice, Ohno caught his gaze and when Nino tried to smile, the man had already turned his sight. It was during the third week that Nino finally got time alone with Ohno.

Sho was out for delivery, Aiba had gone to town for grocery shopping and Matsujun had a meeting with one of their new clients. It was the first time for Ohno to let Nino entering the work chamber behind the shop. It was large and messy; Ohno’s working space was at the far corner, meanwhile Matsujun’s was in the other corner. Somehow, it made Nino relieved. At least there was a large gap between them.

“I need you to sort these shoelaces.” Ohno handed him a bunch of shoelaces. Nino caught a glimpse of fatigue on Ohno’s face, his sleepy eyes were nearly closed. Nino wished he could tell the man to take a rest for one or two hours; but the words wouldn’t form in his mouth.

‘You can use my lap, you know.’

The words sounded so cheesy and Nino was sure that Ohno would kick him out of the working chamber before he could finish his sentence.

Nino had already sorted half of the shoelaces when he heard something hit the floor. He turned around and found Ohno collapsed. His eyes were closed tightly and his fingers were bleeding. Nino hurried towards the man and shook him, panic rushing into him, what if Ohno had heart attacks or another deadly disease that Sho, Matsujun or Aiba had forgot to mention before they went out.

“Ohno-san!” Nino shook the man, but he laid still.

Nino checked Ohno’s pulse; the beat was normal which indicated that Ohno wasn’t in eminent danger. The man breathed normally, his eyes were still closed.

“Ohno-san, are you okay?” Nino asked nervously.

Ohno nodded weakly. “Sleepless,” he muttered.

Nino let go of a relieved sigh as he heard Ohno’s answer.

“Your fingers are bleeding, let me take care of them,” Nino said. He stood up and searched in the corner of the room for the first aid box and hurried back to Ohno who had already sat up leaning against the wall.

“You’d better get some sleep,” Nino said while applying the alcohol to Ohno’s wounded fingers. It was surprising that he felt so good to be able to hold these long and pretty fingers (and felt guilty at the same time since they were injured).

By the time Nino finished taking care of Ohno’s wounds; the man was sound asleep. He smiled as he saw Ohno’s sleeping face; Nino slowly moved to lean into the wall and brought Ohno’s head to his lap. The man’s chest rose and fell with the rhythm of his breaths; his eyes were closed tightly; his lips were slightly parted.

Nino got a strong urge to kiss those lips while Ohno was asleep, but he refrained himself. It would be meaningless if he kissed the man when he didn’t realize it; he leaned his head to the wall and eventually fell asleep as well.

The one who woke him up was Matsujun; the room was dark and the warmth of Ohno on his lap had gone.

“Nino,” he shook Nino’s shoulder lightly. “Wake up.”

Nino slowly opened his eyes and saw Matsujun’s handsome face a few inches in front of him. He smiled at the man as he remembered why he fell asleep.

“Did something happen?” Matsujun asked.

Nino’s brain slowly recalled what had happened, and when he finally grasped the whole situation, Matsujun said something which made him blush.

“I guess Ohno-san had a good sleep too.”

He helped Nino get off the floor and comfortably held Nino’s hand towards the kitchen. This time, Nino squished Matsujun’s hand in return; he had come to the conclusion that it was better to go with the flow in this house. Besides, he liked Matsujun’s company; the man was the first who had welcomed him here and somehow, his presence brought a pleasant comfort to Nino’s heart.

Nino couldn’t sleep that night. He kept on thinking of Ohno’s serene face as he slept on his lap, he kept on reminding himself that he was here in order to get Ohno to appear on the TV program he was working on, not to get Ohno’s attention whatsoever, but the latter seemed so much better and tempting.

‘This place is a safe haven’

He turned his pillow and hoped the sleepy feeling would come, but his eyes just wouldn’t close. Nino gave up and exited his room; he tiptoed towards the living room just like he did on his first night here.

His heart beat faster when he found someone sitting on the couch in the living room. Ohno was there, staring at the muted television. Nino slowly walked over and sat beside the man. Both of them looked at the television which broadcast a late-night drama.

“Are you alright,” Nino asked in a whisper.

“Yeah, thanks to you,” Ohno replied. He turned to Nino and slowly took his hand. The movement almost made Nino’s heart stop, he stayed still and felt Ohno’s warmth as he leaned closer.

“Stay here,” Ohno whispered.

“I’m staying,” Nino answered with trembling voice.

“Don’t return to the city, you don’t belong there,” Ohno continued.

“I have to, my job is waiting for me.”

“We need your presence here,” Ohno said, this time his breath tickled Nino’s earlobe.

The pleasant sensation rushed into Nino’s stomach; he shivered as he realized how close Ohno was and how compromising their position was.

“I…can’t,” Nino whispered but his words were lost as Ohno’s lips touched his. It was nearly like a dream for him – it was different compared to every kiss he had ever had until now. Ohno’s lips were tender and perhaps carried some magic as if they could make Nino lose his senses. He had forgotten that he was here to make Ohno agree on appearing in Nagase’s TV program, he had forgotten that he should avoid falling in love with this man.

Ohno pushed him slowly to the couch and paused his kiss while staring deep into Nino’s eyes.

“Stay here,” Ohno whispered.

And this time, Nino nodded without a second thought.

***

Nino brushed the leathers with full spirit that morning; it had been a week since the ‘kissing incident’ on the sofa. Ohno was still in his silent mood, but he never forgot to give a slight comforting smile to Nino during breakfast. It was enough to boost Nino’s mood for the whole day and he started to feel that it didn’t matter anymore whether Ohno would agree or not to be featured in Nagase’s TV program.

Nagase called him that evening; asking for the progress since Nino had been staying there almost a whole month. Nino answered honestly that Ohno hadn’t showed any signs to appear in the TV program and he needed more time to convince the shoe maker. He sighed deeply as Nagase ended the call – the bigger half of him wanted to send a resignation letter to Nagase this very moment so he didn’t need to worry about his job in Tokyo. But, he couldn’t just quit, what if Ohno wasn’t so serious in inviting him to work here? What if he just wanted to test Nino’s loyalty to his company?

Nino joined the other four for dinner; Aiba had cooked delicious curry rice that night – one of Ohno’s favorite foods (even though Sho told Nino that Ohno enjoyed every meal on his plate).

“Congratulations on your first month stay,” Matsujun raised his glass to do a toast.

“Thank you,” Nino mumbled, raising his own glass. It had been a month – he reminded himself – and he hadn’t made any progress, except his feelings towards Ohno which grew stronger each day.

He glanced at Ohno; the man looked as calm as always, how could Nino leave if deep down inside his heart he only wanted to stay here forever just to see Ohno’s serene face each and every single day. 

“Ohno-san is ready to be featured for the television show you’re working on,” Sho said, smiling at Nino.

Nino almost choked from his beer when he heard it; why didn’t Ohno tell him himself that he had agreed to do it?

“That’s…great,” Nino said, avoiding Sho’s gaze. He wasn’t sure whether he should feel sad or glad about it. Ohno’s approval meant he had no more reason to stay here; he would need to return to Tokyo and continue his boring job. If he left this place, he had a feeling that he would never step his feet here anymore. The thought scared him; it meant he would no longer be able to see Ohno.

“You can contact your boss to prepare everything,” Sho continued.

“I’ll be ready on Tuesday morning,” Ohno chirped in; his eyes were on Nino and he smiled.

“I got it,” Nino replied. He didn’t avert his gaze this time, he wanted to know what was hidden behind Ohno’s shady eyes. He wished Ohno said something like ‘stay here’ again like he did that night when he kissed Nino on the sofa.

Nino sent an email to Nagase that night, containing the details about what to prepare and how to get to the shop. He laid on the bed as he finished and looked at the ceiling with both of his hands on the back of his head.

He couldn’t stay here, he told himself for the nth time. He would never be able to return to the ‘normal’ world if he prolonged his stay in this place. He must go back to Tokyo and forget this odd shop; no matter how reluctant he was.

‘This place is a kind of safe haven’

Sho’s words echoed in his head and with that he finally fell asleep.

***

Nagase’s crews came on Monday night; they booked the nearest hotel which was located an hour away from Ohno’s shop. Nino went there to attend the meeting where he explained about the shop, what kind of shoes they were producing, how many people were working there and how they marketed their product.

He was nervous for no reason; perhaps it was because he was the one who would edit Ohno’s interview. He talked about the final preparations with Nagase and tried to give his objective opinion of Ohno’s shoe shop. He typed a to-do list on his laptop and focused his mind on his task, even though Ohno’s smile kept on disturbing his concentration.

Nino woke up early the next morning and finished his breakfast as fast as he could. By the time the rest of Nagase’s crew had finished their breakfast, he was completely ready, waiting for them at the hotel lobby. He had contacted Sho; the man told Nino that Ohno was expecting Nagase’s crew and was ready for the interview.

They travelled by minivan; Nino was squished between two cameramen who kept on commenting how isolated the place was and hoped that Nagase would never bring them here anymore in the future. They asked Nino how he had survived here for the whole month; Nino answered randomly, he had just realized that what he experienced couldn’t be explained by words.

Matsujun and Aiba welcomed the crew as they arrived; Matsujun did the talking with Nagase and explained succinctly about the Angel’s Hands shoes. Aiba welcomed them with green tea and sugar-free snacks, Nino could tell that everyone was impressed with this kind of hospitality and he was sure that they wanted to stay here a little bit longer.

Sho came out from Ohno’s working chamber fifteen minutes later and told Nagase that Ohno was ready. Nino could feel his heart raced inside his ribs as he saw the shoe maker; he was wearing a red check shirt above a pair of jeans – they were Ohno’s everyday outfit, but for some reason he looked fresher and cooler.

Ohno offered a broad smile to Nagase and shook the man’s hand.

“Welcome to our humble shop, Nagase-san,” Ohno said.

“Thank you for approving our request,” Nagase answered, “I’m a big fan of your shoes and I’m sure everyone here is. Your admirers all over Japan want to hear from you about your Angel Hand’s product.”

Ohno shook his head as he heard Nagase’s compliment, “You’re exaggerating, we just love what we’re doing.”

Nino could see Nagase’s relaxed smile, something in Ohno’s words and appearance could calm everyone down – as if he possessed some kind of magic power. They continued their little chit chat, then Nagase introduced his crews, including Nino who chose to stand at the back since he was really nervous.

The interview took around 45 minutes; Ohno answered every question calmly and more than once he stole a glance at Nino and smiled briefly. Nino felt his heart sink every time he looked at Ohno’s face; he tried not to think that he had to go back to Tokyo with the rest of the crew as the interview finished.

Nino told Nagase that he needed some time to take care of his belongings and promised his boss that he would finish editing the interview by 10 the next morning. Nagase and the rest of the crews left that afternoon with satisfied expressions on their faces.

Nino felt a heavy burden in his chest as he collected his stuff; spending a whole month in this shop was probably the best time in his life, he never felt so welcomed before. He had nobody he could call friend, but in this house, everyone treated him very well as if he was a family member. Matsujun was a kind of a big-brother for everyone, Aiba and Sho were nice roommates and Ohno was a cool and kind-hearted landlord.

“Do you need some help?” Aiba asked while entering the room and squatting beside Nino.

“I’m almost finished,” Nino replied, tossing the last T-shirt into his rucksack.

“We’ll be missing you, Nino,” Aiba said, giving Nino his best smile while patting Nino on his shoulder.

Nino looked around the room and heaved a deep sigh, “I’ll come to visit.”

“Really? You can come together with Sho-chan when he returns from his deliveries,” Aiba said with the utmost positive tone – something which sent a chill to Nino’s stomach since he wasn’t sure that he would step foot here anymore.

“Well then,” Nino closed and locked his suitcase, “See you again, Aiba-kun.”

“Take care,” Aiba said, accompanying him to the front gate where Matsujun and Sho were waiting. Ohno wasn’t there, though.

“I’ll visit you in Tokyo,” Sho said, giving Nino a brief hug.

“Take care and eat well,” Matsujun hugged him tightly and ruffled his hair in a brotherly way.

“Where is Ohno-san? I want to say a proper good-bye to him,” Nino said, looking at Ohno’s working chamber, hoping to see Ohno’s figure.

“He’s working on an important project and told us to thank you on his behalf,” Matsujun shrugged apologetically.

Nino smiled weakly, somehow, he had already guessed that Ohno wouldn’t appear to say a proper good bye to him.

“I had a great time here,” Nino said. “Thank you for everything you have done for me.”

“We did nothing,” Sho said, “But we’re glad that you enjoyed your time here.”

Nino left the shop and tried hard not to look back; he couldn’t describe his feeling at the moment. He was sad that Ohno didn’t show up for a goodbye hug (or perhaps a goodbye kiss), he was glad that he could fulfill his duty to get Ohno’s approval for the interview, he was panicked that he had to finish the editing within one night. Everything was mixed in his head, but now, he had no choice but to continue his steps.

***

“Nino, can you take a look at this? I think the freshman has made a little mistake on the last editing.”

“Nino, you got a phone call.”

“Nino, we’ll be working on this project for the next special two hour program, do you have any ideas?”

The busy days had returned, no green fields which Nino could stare at when he was fed-up with the shoe leathers, no more delicious juice from Aiba which he made between breakfast and lunchtime, no more nap with Ohno’s head on his lap.

Sometimes, Nino thought that all of them were dreams, perhaps he had experienced a bad hallucination which lead him to that in-the-middle-of-nowhere-shop.

He couldn’t focus on his work for the whole week after his return from Ohno’s house. It felt like a bad jetlag as if that house possessed a different time zone. The first week passed and Nino still wished that he woke up in his little room beside Aiba’s, he missed Matsujun’s smile, Sho’s bad jokes, Aiba’s cooking and of course, Ohno was the one he missed the most.

“I’m home,” Nino said to the empty apartment. Two weeks had passed since he came back to Tokyo, the city felt much too crowded for his liking and he bumped many people when he crossed the street. He didn’t know that leaving Tokyo for a month could make him forget how to live in the city.

“Welcome home.”

Nino froze as he heard the voice; ghost, he thought, but he didn’t believe in such things, it must be some kind of hallucination since he was exhausted from work. He switched on the lamp and saw a figure was sitting down on his couch; his heart pounded hard, it was impossible, how could this particular man get access to his apartment?

Nino walked slowly towards the man, making sure that his eyes didn’t fool him. “Ohno-san?” he confirmed.

“You have a nice place,” the man said, turning to Nino with a broad smile.

“Wait, how…what…why are you here?” Nino stammered.

Ohno pouted while looking around the room, “I found a spare key in Aiba’s room and I guessed it was yours. I’m here to deliver something,” he gestured to the box on Nino’s table.

Nino glanced at the box, but he stayed still, it was odd to see Ohno on his couch and he doubted that it was real. He bit his lower lip; it hurt, so it was real. Ohno rose off of the couch and stood up in front of him – the pleasant odor of his body reached Nino’s nose and it calmed him down for the first time since he came back here.

“I missed you,” Ohno whispered and he pulled Nino into a hug which was enough to paralyze him. He buried his face into Ohno’s neck and breathed his scent; he felt content and warm and safe. Ohno pulled away and this time he put his fingers on Nino’s chin, he leaned closer and kissed Nino’s lips.

Nino didn’t think twice; he kissed Ohno back, pouring every doubt and longing in his heart. Ohno pulled him closer and without them realizing it, both of them were lying on the couch, trying to undress each other. They made love that night, Nino had forgotten when the last time was he had sex, he let go of a pleasant groan when Ohno entered him with his massive cock. It took some time for Ohno until he came and collapsed on top of him. He kissed Nino one more time before dozing off.

Nino slowly freed himself from Ohno’s embrace and wrapped a towel around his waist. He took a blanket from his bedroom and covered Ohno with it. He collected their scattered clothes and tossed them into the washing machine then took a quick shower and changed into pajamas before returning to his living room where Ohno was sleeping soundly.

Nino took the box on his table and opened the wrapping ribbon around it, a pair of shoes were inside it. They were made with the utmost care and they were the model that Nino had wanted to buy for a long time. Nino hardly ever felt touched, but now his eyes were glistening as he realized how much Ohno cared for him.

He looked at Ohno’s serene face and smiled, this was his answer, he didn’t need to feel doubt anymore.

***

Three months later

“Nino, we’ll be delivering these shoes to three different shops, make sure that you note the addresses properly.”

“Yes, Sir,” Nino answered which gained a chuckle from Aiba behind him.

“Sho-chan is a perfectionist, he hardly ever trusts people,” Aiba said.

“I can see that,” Nino pouted.

“You can tell Ohno-san to reduce his wage if he treats you badly,” Aiba winked.

“I’ve never seen Ohno-san that happy, what did you do to him?” Sho asked, raising his eyebrow.

Nino shrugged, “A little bit of extra service, I bet.”

“And what kind of service is that?” Matsujun asked while circling his hand around Nino’s shoulder.

“It’s classified,” Nino chuckled.

“I can tell you if Nino doesn’t mind,” Ohno said, appearing from the backdoor with a naughty expression on his face.

“No, thank you,” Sho’s cheek reddened. “I’m not ready for this new Ohno-san and I blame Nino for that, now, let’s go back to work.”

Ohno made an amusing face; he leaned to Nino and kissed his cheek.

“Ewww, are we going to see this affection every day?” Aiba said, laughing.

“I can kiss you if you want,” Matsujun leaned closer but Aiba shook his head in embarrassment. Nino chuckled and walked towards the car with Sho, they still could hear Aiba and Matsujun arguing about the necessary of a goodbye kiss. Sho, Matsujun, and Aiba were involved in a complicated relationship that Nino hardly understood, but as long as they were happy, he wouldn’t consider it as a problem. He had Ohno after all, who let him enter the workshop every now and then just to take a nap on Nino’s lap.

Sho started the engine and waited for Nino to fasten his seatbelt before driving it towards the shops where they would deliver the shoes. Nino looked back at Ohno’s shop and felt a happiness sneak into his heart, he was glad that he had made the right decision to stay there with the other four.

A safe haven, just like Sho had told him. 

THE END


End file.
